CAMPUS/AREA
UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
Tuesday, April 2, 1996
3A
Senate chairman resigns at board's wish
By Nicole Kennedy Kansan staff writer
Student Legislative Awareness Board Chairman Andy Obermueller resigned at 9 p.m. yesterday at a board meeting at the Oread Room in the Kansas Union.
"I just don't think I'm ever going to see eye to eye on changes within the structure," Obermueller said.
Obermueller was asked to resign at a previous board meeting after he drafted a bill that would disband the board.
The bill would create a legislative liaison position that would fulfill the board's current duties. According to a draft copy of the bill, the liaison would be appointed by the student body president.
Following Obermueller's resignation, the board discussed drafting a Senate bill to counteract the legislation to disband the organization.
However, much of the debate centered on philosophical differences about whether a presidentially appointed coordinator or a coordinator hired by the board would be more effective.
Kim Cocks, student body president, said the coordinator should be presidentially appointed.
"I don't know how we make those things happen if there isn't accountability to the president," she said.
Jason Schreiner, on-campus coordinator for the board, however, was not in favor of changing the coordinator positions from
hired ones to presidential appointments.
"The potential for lackeys becomes greater because the president can make a political appointment," Schreiner said.
The board had not decided whether to draft counteractive legislation by the Kansan's press time.
The bill to disband the board will go before Senate committees tomorrow night.
Collision throws man off cycle
Failure to yield causes accident at intersection
By Amy McVey
Kansan staff writer
A 33-year-old Lawrence man was treated at Lawrence Memorial Hospital and released after his motorcycle collided with a car at noon yesterday at the intersection of 15th Street and Engel Road.
Tony Tran, Wichita sophomore, said that he was driving west on 15th Street, behind the motorcycle, when he saw it collide with a Toyota Camry.
Tran said that the motorcycle was going about 35 mph on 15th Street and slowed when the motorcycle driver, David Loomis, saw the Camry coming from the left of the intersection.
"He just hit the side of her car and flew off the motorcycle," Tran said. "Then he hit the cement."
Tran said that he didn't know whether the Camry had stopped at the stop sign on Engel Road before entering the intersection.
Ruth Weir, driver of the Camry, told police that she didn't see the motorcycle.
Sgt. Chris Keary of KU police said that Weir was given a ticket for failing to yield at a stop sign.
Keary said that even if Weir stopped at the stop sign she failed to yield to the motorcycle, and that was why she was given a ticket.
After the motorcycle and Camry collided, the Camry slid into a University of Kansas sophomore's Eagle Talon, which was stopped at the stop sign on the north side of the intersection.
Justin Isham, Garden City, said that he was on his way to class when his car was hit.
Neither Isham nor Weir were injured in the accident.
Matt Flickner / KANSAN
Paramedics secure David Loomis, Lawrence resident, to a stretcher yesterday after Loomis' motorcycle collided with a car driven by Ruth Weir, Lawrence resident, at the intersection of 15th Street and Engel Road.
Class aids the mechanically challenged
The difference between a spark plug and an oil cap no longer has to be a mystery to those who aren't exactly grease monkeys.
By Heather Kirkwood Kansan staff writer
$15 fee. Classes will also be held on April 9 and 16.
The Emily Taylor Women's Resource Center is sponsoring a three-session class in basic auto mechanics beginning at 7 tonight at Byron's Autohouse, 640 N. Second St.
Renee Speicher, graduate assistant at the center, said knowing about cars was a good idea when visiting the repair shop.
"I start with the engine and explain how the parts work, what can go wrong and how to take care of them," Edmondson said. "I work from the engine to the wheels."
"Obviously, we are not trying to say that mechanics are out there to mislead you, but it does happen," Speicher said. "It is a good idea to increase your knowledge so that when you take your car in you have some idea about what sorts of things can be problematic."
Byron Edmondson, owner of Byron's Autohaus, said knowing the basics of auto mechanics could save students money by helping them avoid expensive problems.
Participants must pay at the first class session and should wear old, comfortable clothes.
Literature class fills culture gap
Aleman said the reason for the lack of Hispanic and Mexican-American teaching was that such classes had no home at the University. That, in turn, is caused by the society's tendency to neglect that culture.
By Susanna Löff
Kansan staff writer
Mexican-American issues are given more attention
Another problem is that Mexican-American literature is not included in the general American canon, Alemán said.
But it is. The class, English 203, is just the fourth class focused on Hispanic or Latin American issues offered at the University of Kansas.
There's nothing about the fall timetable entry for Jesse Aleman's English class about Mexican-American literature that reveals that the class is unusual.
Participants are required to pay a
Alemán, Selma, Calif., graduate teaching assistant, said the lack of Mexican-American classes shocked him when he came to the University two years ago. He reported his interest in teaching a class on that subject, and next semester, his is one of 15 English 203 classes offered.
"We've always been here, and yet we're constantly being erased. People are constantly trying to forget us," he said.
Basic Auto Repair Course
"I see no reason why it shouldn't be included in the American canon. After all, it's written by people born in America," Alemán said.
When: Tonight, April 9 and 16 from 7 to 9 p.m.
Where: Byron's Autohaus, 640 N. Second St.
Offering courses like the class Aleman is teaching next semester could be a way of changing that attitude, he said.
Cost: $15 for all three classes, paid in advance.
For more information: Call the Emily Taylor Women's Resource Center at 864-3552.
"The largest goal is to introduce students to a body of literature that they probably didn't know existed," Alemán said.
Sasha Flores, Hutchinson sophomore and president of Hispanic American Leadership Organization, said although she wanted to take the class, her schedule did not allow her to.
Gina Thornbury / KANSAN
Michael Cherniss, scheduling officer for the department of English, said instructors could choose what topics they wanted to teach for English 203 classes. The minimum enrollment for a class to be offered in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences is 12 students, and maximum enrollment for English 200-level classes is 35 students, he said.
Jesse Aleman, Selma, Calif., graduate teaching assistant, teaches his English class yesterday in Fraser Hall. Aleman plans to teach Mexican-American literature next semester.
Mexican-American literature deals with the American dream, just like most American literature, Aleman said. But Mexican-American authors have a different perspective of the dream than many other authors.
"Mexican-American literature shows that for some people, that dream has been a nightmare," he said.
The workload in the class will be about the same as any other English 200-level course, said Alemán, who describes himself as a rigorous but fair teacher.
Flores also said the class was a good start in improving the status of Hispanic teaching at the University, but that more needed to be offered.
Kansan staff positions open
The University Daily Kansan is accepting applications for the Summer 1996 and Fall 1996 editor and business manager positions. Applications are available at the dean's office, 200 Stauffer-Flint Hall, or at the Kansan newsroom, 111 Stauffer-Flint Hall. Business manager applications are due at the dean's office by noon April 9, and editor applications are due in the dean's office by noon April 10.
Interviews for business manager candidates will be April 10. Interviews for editor candidates will be April 11. Students can sign up for an interview time in the dean's office when they pick up an application.
Any questions about applications or interviews may be directed to Ashley Miller, editor, at 864-4810, or to Heather Niehaus, business manager, at 864-4958